Ceremonies

You must sign a legal statement at your local register office to say you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This is known as ‘giving notice’.

You must give notice at least 29 days before your ceremony. For more information please visit give notice on Gov.UK

If you are a foreign national from you must have proof of your immigration status.

If you do not have proof, then your application to get married or form a civil partnership will also need to be approved by the Immigration Enforcement after you have given notice. This may take up to 70 days.
We advise that you should delay making any ceremony plans until you have received clearance from the Home Office.

For more information please visit www.gov.uk

If you have decided to marry in the register office or a civil approved venue, you will need to:

• Provisionally book a date and ceremony time with the venue
• Contact the register office to confirm registrars are available to officiate at the ceremony
• Pay the register office a booking fee of £37 to reserve a date and time
• Confirm the booking with the venue
• Make an appointment so you can each give a legal notice of your intention to marry. This notice has to be given in the district in which you live. If you live in different areas, you will have to attend different register offices. A fee is payable to give a notice.

The notices cannot be given more than 12 months before your wedding date and must be given at least 28 days before.

You must decide where to have your marriage or civil partnership ceremony before ‘giving notice’. To give notice, you’ll sign a legal statement at your local register office saying you intend to get married or form a civil partnership. This must include details of the final venue for your ceremony.

You must hold your ceremony within 12 months of ‘giving notice’. For more information please visit plan your ceremony on Gov.UK.

Celebratory ceremony

We will always try to accommodate your preferred ceremony date and time. Registration staff carry out ceremonies across all of North Lincolnshire and have a wide range of venues to attend. Please contact us to secure the date and time you want as soon as you are able to – we cannot guarantee availability.

Ceremony fees

Ceremony fees depend on the room chosen. There is a choice of one ceremony room at the register office in Scunthorpe. All the fees shown include one £12.50 certified copy of the register entry.

Standard register office ceremony room (seats four – couple plus two witnesses only)

Ceremony times available on the first Monday of each month at a cost of £68.50.

Ceremony room at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre (seats 40 guests plus couple)

• Friday afternoons – £247.50
• Third Saturday of each month – £277.50

It may be possible to book outside of these times. Please check with the ceremonies team for more information.

Please contact the Register Office to check availability for these venues. You cannot currently book online for these venues.

Approved premises ceremony fees

• Monday to Thursday – £367.50
• Friday – £432.50
• Saturday before 1pm or after 3pm – £432.50
• Saturday between 1pm and 3pm  – £482.50
• Sunday and bank holidays – £532.50

Religious building ceremony fees (registrar in attendance)

Monday to Sunday – £116.50

Your marriage or civil partnership ceremony can take place outdoors within the grounds of an Approved Premise. If you would like to hold your ceremony outside, please contact your venue to check they can accommodate this first.

On the day of your ceremony, both parties will speak to the registrar before the ceremony. You will have a short interview during which the registrar will check all the legal information which is going to be written in the marriage register is correct. This interview can be done separately if you do not wish to see each other before the ceremony.

Prior to your ceremony, we will provide a selection of ceremonies for you to choose from. Civil ceremonies can include readings, songs or music. They must not include anything that is religious, for example parts of religious services, hymns or readings from the Bible or other religious books.

There are some legal words which must be said but you can add other words if you wish. Discuss any other wording you want in the ceremony with us before the day.

Your guests will be seated awaiting the entrance of the couple.

You may choose to have music played as the couple make an entrance and also during the signing of the register, and when the couple exit the room. The songs cannot be music which has been written specifically for religious purposes. You can bring the music on a CD, USB or a phone to connect to AUX cable or by Bluetooth.

You will need to have at least two witnesses at the ceremony. Witnesses are a personal choice, the only criteria is that they speak and understand English. Where there may be any language difficulties an interpreter should be arranged by the couple. The interpreter must act as one of the witnesses to the marriage. A person under 18 years can sign as a witness provided two other adult witnesses also sign.

Rings may be exchanged but are not a legal requirement of the wedding.

Photographs and videos may be taken during the ceremony at the discretion of the registrar. There will be a photographic opportunity at the end of the ceremony.

We now offer you the opportunity to have an outdoor celebratory ceremony. The legal part of the ceremony can take place in the approved venue immediately following the celebratory element. Not all our venues are suitable for outdoor ceremonies so please check with them before contacting us.

Please note that in the event of bad weather, the ceremony may have to take place indoors.

For more information, please contact the venues directly:

Normanby Hall Country Park

Normanby Hall Country Park 
Normanby, Near Scunthorpe
01724 720588

20-21 Visual Arts Centre

Church Square
Scunthorpe
DN15 6TB
01724 297070

Ashbourne Hotel and Restaurant

Ashbourne Hotel and Restaurant
Vicarage Lane
North Killingholme
01469 541010

Bardney Hall

Bardney Hall
Whitecross Street,
Barton upon Humber
DN18 5DF
01652 638188

Cleatham Hall

Cleatham Hall
Cleatham, Kirton in Lindsey
01652 649402

Double Tree by Hilton Forest Pines

Double Tree by Hilton Forest Pines Golf Resort and Spa
Ermine Street
Broughton
01652 650770

Elsham Hall

Elsham Hall
Elsham Country Gardens and Park
Elsham
 01652 688955

Heslam Park Club

Heslam Park
Scunthorpe
DN16 2AG

01724 843013

Hirst Priory

Hirst Priory
Belton
01724 762945

Holme Hall Golf Club

Holme Hall Golf Club
Scunthorpe
01724 862078

Messingham Lakes

Butterwick Road
Messingham
DN17 3PP
01724 766478

Millfield

Wressle Road
Brigg
DN20 9LF

01652 240805

Normanby Golf Club

Normanby Golf Club
Normanby Road
Normanby
North Lincolnshire
DN15 9HU
01724 720226

Nuddock Wood Lake

Brumby Common Lane
Burringham
DN17 1US

07748186235

The Buttercross

The Buttercross
Market Place
Brigg
01724 296771

The Pink Pig

Holme Lane
Scunthorpe
DN16 3RE

sally@pinkpigfarm.co.uk

The Reindeer Inn

The Reindeer Inn
Thorne Road
Sandtoft
DN8 5SZ
01724 710774

The Royal Hotel

The Royal Hotel
Doncaster Road
Scunthorpe
01724 282233

San Pietro

San Pietro Restaurant
11 High Street East
Scunthorpe
01724 277774

Walcot Hall

Walcot Hall
Walcot
Near Alkborough
01724 720420

Winteringham Fields

Winteringham Fields
1 Silver Street
Winteringham
01724 733096

Wootton Hall

Wootton Hall
Barton Road
Ulceby

For contact please see the venues own webpage

The White Hart

The White Hart
57-58 Bridge Street
Brigg
DN20 8NS
01652 237337

The Wortley House Hotel

The Wortley House Hotel
Rowland Road
Scunthorpe
01724 842223

You can convert your same sex civil partnership into a marriage at:

• a register office
• a local registration office
• a religious or approved premises where same sex marriages are allowed – a ceremony may follow

You’ll get a marriage certificate, dated when your civil partnership was formed.

For more information please visit convert civil partnership on Gov.UK

Conversion from a civil partnership to a marriage

Couples who are in civil partnership can legally convert to a marriage, if they choose to.

Conversions are possible for couples who registered their civil partnership in England, Wales or overseas in a consulate or armed forces base (where the civil partnership was registered according to the law of England and Wales).

Conversion process

Couples can convert their civil partnership into marriage using a simple ‘one stage’ procedure, or a ‘two stage’ procedure where the conversion into marriage is followed by a ceremony.

The standard one-stage procedure

Couples attend any register office or local registration service point for an appointment with the superintendent registrar. They complete a declaration with details about themselves and their civil partnership, together with evidence of their name, date of birth, address and civil partnership certificate.

The couple and the superintendent registrar sign the declaration. The couple can also opt to say the declaration wording aloud to one another before signing (if they wish to do so). The conversion into marriage is registered electronically and a marriage certificate issued.

The two-stage procedure

Stage one

Couples attend any register office or local registration service point for an appointment with the superintendent registrar. They complete a declaration with details about themselves and their civil partnership, together with evidence of name, date of birth, address and their civil partnership certificate.

At this point they state the name of the venue where they wish to sign the conversion declaration. The signing of the declaration, which can be followed by a ceremony, can take place at the same range of venues where a marriage of same sex couples can take place:

• Register office
• Approved premises
• Religious buildings registered for the marriage of same sex couples
• Premises where a ceremony according to the Jewish faith or the Society of Friends will immediately follow the conversion.

Stage two

The declaration is made at the specified venue. This can be followed by a ceremony if the couple wish. The superintendent registrar returns to their office and enters the conversion details electronically. A marriage certificate will be posted to the couple.

Please contact the register office if you wish to arrange a conversion. We will be able to give you details of fees and how to proceed further.

A renewal of marriage vows ceremony can be an opportunity to mark a special anniversary. It can also be a way of celebrating with friends and family after a marriage abroad.

Every vow renewal ceremony is unique. Couples can create their own personal ceremony by selecting preferences from the options available.

The couple can invite special people in their lives to take part in the ceremony. This could include:

• children
• original wedding guests
• friends
• relatives

Ceremonies normally take approximately 40 minutes depending on the number of readings chosen. They can take place at the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, or in any of North Lincolnshire’s approved venues.

Ceremonies are secular and do not contain religious references. They are not restricted to couples who live in North Lincolnshire.

The ceremony provides a non-restrictive service where couples can celebrate their marriage whatever their circumstances. They can be any age and married for any length of time. Two people witness the signing of a souvenir certificate of the event.

Costs

All fees are inclusive of a commemorative certificate.

Ceremonies at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre

• Friday – £220
• Saturday -£250

Ceremonies held in approved venues

• Monday to Thursday – £330
• Friday – £350
• Saturday – £470 at 1pm or 2.45pm or £420 at 11.15am or 4.30pm
• Sundays and bank holidays – £520

All ceremony charges include VAT at 20 per cent.

You need to attend a citizenship ceremony if you’re 18 or over and have successfully applied to become a British citizen. For more information please visit Citizenship ceremonies on Gov.UK

What happens

The ceremony must take place within three months of the application being granted. It includes making either an oath or affirmation of allegiance to the crown and a pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.

Those under 18 do not have to take part in ceremonies, but they may attend along with their families and be included in the formalities.

The register office receives notification from the Home Office of the granting of citizenship for people living in North Lincolnshire. A letter is sent out inviting new citizens to the next available ceremony.

Standard ceremony

New citizens are invited to attend a ceremony once the documentation has been received from the Home Office confirming citizenship has been granted. If you are a new citizen and not been contacted within 4 weeks of receiving your invite, please ring the Register Office.

Private ceremony

Anyone wishing to have a private ceremony should contact the Superintendent Registrar at North Lincolnshire register office to make arrangements.

The current fees for private ceremonies in the ceremony room  (seating 20) at the Scunthorpe Central are:

Monday to Thursday – £100
Friday – £120

Payment can be made by debit or credit card. Please note that we do not take cash payments.

A naming ceremony is a special way of celebrating a child’s birth or adoption. It announces names and welcomes the new arrival into the family and wider community.

The ceremony gives parents the opportunity to declare, before family and friends, their promise to be as good a parent as possible.

Families can choose guiding adults to pledge a unique relationship with the child. Grandparents and other relatives can also confirm their special relationship with the child by making promises.

Ceremonies can take place at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre or in any of North Lincolnshire’s approved venues.

The ceremony can be personalised with promises made by the parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters and supporting adults of the child. There is opportunity for poems and readings to be said by family or friends. A commemorative certificate is signed at the end before an opportunity for photographs.

The naming ceremony has no religious content.

Costs

Ceremonies at 20-21 Visual Arts Centre

Friday – £235
Saturday – £265

Ceremonies held in approved venues

Monday to Thursday – £355
Friday – £420
Saturday – £470 at 1pm or 2.45pm or £420 at 11.15am or 4.30pm
Sundays and bank holidays – £520

All ceremony charges include a commemorative certificate and VAT at 20 per cent.

Marriage and civil partnerships venues – approved premises

Civil marriage ceremonies and civil partnerships can only be conducted in registry offices or approved premises.

Premises seeking approval from the council have to satisfy a number of criteria. These are based on the requirements of the registrar and health and safety inspectors.

How to apply

To apply to become an approved venue please read our guidebook for applicants [PDF, 407Kb] and complete the Licence application form [PDF, 116 Kb]

For further information please read the Registrar General’s guidance for the approval of premises as venues for civil marriages and civil partnerships

Fees and charges

Grant of Approval – £1300

Renewal of Approval – £1100

Changes to existing licences – £50

Renewals can be applied for up to 12 months before the expiry date and any the renewal will begin at the end of the current expiry.

Timescale

We aim to deal with grant and renewal applications within 30 days. We will contact you once the grant or renewal has been approved.

Renewal applications for a 21-day period